After the Oscars, time to get real

Open sewers in the Indira Colony slum, Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh.

Credit: WaterAid / Marco Betti

March 5 2009

After the euphoria over Slumdog Millionaire sweeping the Oscars, it is time to get real with situation in Indian slums.

In the past two decades, India's slum population has doubled while access to basic facilities like water and sanitation has not shown any progress.

Searching for solutions

Over 100 experts from water and sanitation sector came together in Bhopal to discuss existing issues and challenges in providing water and sanitation services in urban areas.

The deliberations and recommendations of the workshop will influence the ongoing and upcoming urban reform initiatives that will lead to better provision of services for the urban poor.

Find out more about the state of slums in India. 

Download an update from day one ( PDF 529Kb)
Download an update from day two ( PDF 576Kb) 

For details about the workshop, interviews with experts and daily updates on the workshop please contact Binu Nair on 09717397828, or email her at binunair@wateraid.org.

Download the the background note on the conference, From infrastructure to services: Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor ( PDF 190Kb)

Notes to Editors

• Around 40 million people reside in slums, without adequate water and sanitation.
• India will have 41% of its population living in cities and towns by 2030 i.e. over 575 million people from present 286 million.
• But, because their existence is not recognised, they are unable to access water and sanitation.
• WaterAid India, UN-HABITAT and the Governmnet of Madhya Pradesh are organizing a three-day National Workshop on 5-7 March to discuss issues related to urban water and sanitation.
• Over 100 experts will debate and deliberate on how make water and sanitation possible for urban poor.